I Learned From You
by BeachBabe123
Summary: Chris is going off to college. And sitting outside on their last day together before he leaves, John takes the time to think about everything that he's learned from his brother. Bro fic!


**So I've this idea for a while now, and I've been getting some positive encouragement for it from HollisGrayson14. Thus I decided to write this little bro fic.**

**For all of you who have younger siblings, you know how sometimes you love him to death and sometimes you don't want them around at all. So here's a little story about a relationship between a boy and his brother.**

**Enjoy!**

**John's POV**

Today was the day. Today was the day I wasn't sure if I was waiting for or dreading. But however I felt, today was the day. Today was the day that Chris was leaving for college.

It was late August. The sky was clear with only as many clouds as you could count on your fingers. From where I sat on the ledge of the trunk of Chris' car, I couldn't see the sun itself, but I could see the shadows it was casting across the yard. I put my hand up, watching it reflected in my shadow on the driveway. I moved my hand up and down, playing with my shadow.

The front door opened and closed. I looked up to see Chris coming towards me with the last cardboard box we had to place in our well-strategized car set up. We'd spent at least two hours on it last night, and were quite proud of it.

"The last box?" I asked.

"The last box," Chris answered, setting the cardboard box down in the exact spot it was meant to fit. "And thus, the packing stage comes to a close." He sat down next to me on the rim of the trunk. "Have you looked at the notebook yet?" I laughed, thinking about that slightly beat up, army green, five-subject notebook that held the story of five years of our lives as written by two very imaginative brothers.

"I was up till like two reading it!" I replied. "Where did you find that?"

"Under my bed of all places," Chris said in response. "Which story was your favorite?"

"All of them! We were like, the most awesome people ever in those stories!" I answered. "We were knights, superheroes, gladiators…"

"Don't forget wizards, robots, cowboys, spies, and ninjas," Chris added. "But remember, we were much younger when we started those. When you're nine and seven, you can be anything you want to be. Even if that means you can be a superhero for a week and then suddenly lose your powers to take up sword fighting." I laughed again. It had been nine years since we'd started that book.

"I don't even know what we were thinking half of the time," I said, glancing down at my shadow again. "I mean, do you remember the bear?"

"Which one? The one in the basement, or the one in the ravine behind Danny's house?" Chris asked with an amused smile.

"Both!" I replied.

"Yes I remember them both," Chris responded, leaning backwards. "How many times we tried to kill that bear behind Danny's house. Remember the berries we found on the bushes that magically became bear poison?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "Lesson obtained from that without realizing it: persistence. If the bear doesn't die the first seven times, kill it again." Chris laughed and I laughed with him. We'd spent so many summers together trying to defeat that imaginary bear, and then we'd vanquished it with only a few wild berries. It was amazing seeing how our minds used to work. "And then there's the bear in the basement," I said, bringing up the other imaginary creature.

"Oh yeah. I remember him too. You wouldn't go downstairs by yourself because you thought it was going to eat you," Chris said in response. "So one day I went down there with you and we were armed with the nerf guns and we got that bear." I laughed again.

"And from then on I wasn't afraid of the basement. And I learned that the noises I heard was really just the heating unit, not a bear that ate little boys," I added. "I also learned that a nerf gun can get you a long way."

"Good lesson, John," Chris commented slightly sarcastically. "That's one to tell the kids." I shook my head and elbowed him in the side. He flinched away, losing his balance and tumbling to the pavement. I laughed for what felt like the millionth time today.

"No fair, you know my weak spots," Chris said in response to my laughter.

"Just like you know mine," I retorted.

"Well yeah. We're brothers. We might as well know each other's weaknesses so we can protect each other better. And to torment each other when the occasion arises," Chris said in explanation as he climbed back onto the rim of the trunk. "For example, I know that you are terrified of fire. So thus, it is my job to keep you safe from it." I smiled.

"Okay, maybe you are a good big brother," I surrendered. "Sometimes."

"At least you said it," Chris replied, throwing his hands in the air. "Everything's good now." I smiled at my brother again, thinking about what it would be like with him gone.

Now I'd have to call him to help me out with my homework instead of just running upstairs with the textbook and worksheet. I'd have to call him to ask him random questions that just popped in my head that needed to be answered or they would bug me for the rest of the day. I wouldn't be able to swap lunch items with him anymore as we usually did as soon as we left for school. (Mom usually gave him the juice box flavor I liked better and vice versa, so we'd just switch.) And I couldn't just run to him to ask him Monster Buster Club questions anymore.

That would be a hard hitter. I mean, I know all of the basics. I can work every gadget like I've been using them all my life. I know how to work the super computer and identify aliens. But there are the questions that are most based off of experience, things I can't figure out in books, that I need Chris to answer for me. I mean, if I'm gonna be an effective new leader, I need to know how to lead my team right.

"What're you thinking about?" Chris asked suddenly. I met his eyes. They were watching me curiously with a hint of worry. I can always tell how my brother is feeling by looking at his eyes. How? Because those blue orbs are the same as mine; in fact, our eyes are probably the most similar thing between my brother and I. And I if my emotions are clear through my eyes, then his work exactly the same way.

"How I'm gonna lead the MBC without you here to tell me what to do," I answered simply.

"I don't tell you what to do, I tell you what not to do mostly. Sometimes what you should do," Chris corrected. "You usually come to me with a question, and I give you an answer. And we can still do that, just not face to face."

"I know, I know. But it won't be the same without you here," I said, looking down at my shadow again. "Nothing will. I mean, we've been together through everything. Like when we both tried to play soccer."

"I got hit in the face as goalie and you twisted your ankle on offense so we decided soccer wasn't our thing," Chris commented, nodding. His eyes were transfixed on something else.

"When we decided to try swimming in the summer for our city league…"

"And actually liked it, so we stuck with it and I was a coach these past three years and you were one this year and will be for the next two years," Chris said. His eyes were still looking elsewhere, meaning that he was focusing hard on what I was saying, but he didn't appear to be. Chris was funny like that.

"When I got my first A+ in spelling…"

"And we hung it on the fridge for a year," Chris responded.

"When you got your first and only C on a project…"

"And blamed it on my group because they didn't work and you told me that it was actually because we used markers on the poster instead of colored pencil and we laughed about it…"

"When you had your first crush on a girl…"

"And you told me to trip her so I could catch her and then be all smooth like in the movies," Chris replied, laughing at that one. "So I decided not to listen to you and just asked her to the school dance instead."

"Then when I had my first crush…"

"I gave you just as bad advice and when you seemed all for it, I stopped you at the last second and told you just to talk to her. And you did, and now you two are dating…"

"When we were in the elementary school talent show together…"

"And you had such bad stage fright you didn't even want to go on. So I started without you, and then you decided to join me and everyone clapped for you because you were so brave and talented…"

"Then there's the one time you tried to throw a surprise party for me…"

"But you knew about it already. And then we had a frosting war when all your friends left and the pictures from that are still somewhere in mom's pile of photos."

"And when you saved me from all those aliens multiple times…"

"Yeah, then there are those. But you can't forget the times when you saved me."

I sighed. There were so many other things I could say. But that could go on forever. And right now, I feel like I'd said everything I wanted to. Well… almost.

"I'm gonna miss you," I said, meeting my brother's eyes again. They'd come back to reality and were staring right back at me.

"I'm gonna miss you too," Chris replied. "But I'm never gonna be too far away. And you can call me every night if you want to. I may not always pick up when you call, but I'll always call back."

"I know you will. It bugs you when people don't do that, so you make a point of always calling back," I responded, rolling my eyes for emphasis. Chris narrowed his eyes at me.

"Don't make me push you out of this car," he said jokingly.

"I'd like to see you try," I challenged. "Cause remember who got pushed out first."

"You win this round, little bro. But I won't go easy on you next time," Chris said in reply, pointing at me for emphasis. I laughed, and he laughed along with me. This was another thing I was going to miss, these fun little moments when it was just the two of us laughing about something together. They'd happened quite a lot. We could make a joke out of anything.

"So when are you leaving?" I asked.

"One-thirty," Chris answered. "Why?"

"Just wondering if we had the time reminisce further," I responded. "I think we do."

"Of course we do, we've got four hours," Chris said. "What else would you like to reminisce about?"

"Gee, I don't know where to start," I said, looking up at the clear, blue sky. "You've been through so much of my life and you've taught me so much…"

"No I haven't," Chris commented, shaking his head.

"You'd be surprised," I said, giving him a side ways glance. "Wanna know a secret?"

"Sure," Chris answered.

"Remember how we used to write those stories about us being superheroes?" I questioned. Chris nodded. "Well I always thought you were a superhero. Not like Spiderman or Superman with all the cool powers. But you were my still my hero, you could do anything in my eyes. And I still see you that way." Chris was quiet, so I took that as a que that I could keep going.

"I mean, you're my big brother, so naturally I look up to you. But I'm happy that you are who you are because I have someone that I can truly say is my role model. I mean, I know kids whose older siblings are even worse role models than some of celebrities we see in the tabloids all the time. But I'm lucky, I don't have anything close to that.

"Instead, I have someone that always looks out for me. When I need help, you're always there for me. When I get scared, I run to you to protect me. When I'm sad or confused, I go to you and you know just how to make me happy again. And I don't think you realize it, but even when you aren't directly showing me what to do, you're teaching me things.

"You showed me how to never let fear get in your way. Remember that time when I was lost a few summers back and then it started thunder storming and you ran all over the neighborhood during the storm to find me even though you were terrified of thunder storms? Or the other time when I had to get my five year old shots and was so scared but you volunteered to go first to get some other shot even though I know now that you were also afraid of that needle? I mean, you can tell people to be brave, but showing them is something totally different." Chris was still quiet, so I continued on.

"And you taught me how to find something good even in the bad things. When I was complaining about my math homework being hard, you told me to think of it like I was a secret agent and these were codes that I had to work through to defeat the bad guys. Or when Grandma died two years ago, and I'd come into your room crying every night for two months, you'd always have something to say that would calm me down and make me happy again. You would tell me some funny story about Grandma and that she was in a better place and was smiling down on us and we'd see her again one day.

"And you taught me what real strength is. It doesn't matter who you are on the outside, it's who you are on the inside. When I'd come home saying that kids were making fun of me, you'd tell me to laugh along with them instead of trying to retaliate with anger. When your friends were fighting, you always tried to stay calm and think through everything so no one would get hurt. When you messed up, you wouldn't let it eat you up. When you made a mistake, you learned from it. And I learned that from you."

Chris was still quiet, probably still think over everything I'd said. His eyes were focused on the ground.

"And remember that one summer, during our swim team championship meet, when I started choking in the middle of the pool and you were prepared to jump in the water to save me but I made it though by myself? That was one memory I'll hold with me forever. Because you were the only one ready to save me, you were more prepared than any of the lifeguards. That's because you're my brother," I finished. "And brothers always look out for each other."

It was quiet between us. I felt like I'd said everything I needed to. And I knew I'd said a lot and it could take some time for Chris to come up with an answer. I know it would take me a while to respond to something like that.

"We're brothers," Chris said finally, his gaze still transfixed on the driveway. "We've lived together our whole lives. We've had good times and bad. We don't always agree. Sometimes people give us weird looks because we're laughing too loud about something that isn't actually funny but we find it hilarious. We bond over schoolwork and video games. We've documented our lives as only brothers and nine/seven year olds could. We've grown up together. I've watched you grow just as much as you've watched me, if not more because I'm older than you. And at the end of it all, I have to say that I am so happy to tell people that you're my little brother. I couldn't be more proud of who you are and who you're going to be."

I smiled, feeling my face getting hot. I looked down at the ground too.

"Why is it that we can only tell each other these things when one of us is leaving?" I asked with a small, somewhat nervous laugh.

"I don't know. I guess it's just human nature," Chris answered. "You get sentimental when you're starting a new chapter in your life or someone close to you is." I nodded. That was a true point.

"I really will miss you," I said.

"I never doubted when you said it before," Chris replied, looking up at me again. "And I hope you didn't doubt me when I said it earlier."

"I'd never doubt you," I shook my head.

"Except when I tell you that girls like it when you pretend that you're a Jedi master that defeated the Death Eaters with your side kick who's a ninja shark that can walk on land," Chris added with an amused grin.

"Yeah, never trusting your dating advice again," I replied. The front door opened again and Mom appeared in the doorway.

"There you two are. We've been looking all over for you. Come on inside, your father and I just found some pictures from only a few years ago that we think you two will enjoy," she said, motioning for us to follow her.

"Okay. We'll be in in a second," Chris called back. Mom nodded and went back inside the house, leaving the door open.

"Well," I said as the two of us got up and Chris closed the trunk shut with a quiet slam. "Good talk, bro."

"Good talk," Chris repeated with a smile. "We should do this more often."

"We should," I nodded in agreement. Then I stepped forward and hugged him. He was still and inch or two taller than me, but I was still working on growing a few more inches. But for now, I was alright with him being taller. Besides, I was the more muscular one while he was just thin all around, so I guess I could let him have the height.

I stepped out of the hug first, since I had initiated it. I smiled at my brother again, and he smiled back. Then we started off towards the house.

"What do you think the pictures are of?" Chris asked as we passed into the house.

"Who knows. Hopefully not from the trip to Aunt Sarah's house," I answered, taking one last look at the sky before closing the door. It was still clear blue with only a few clouds in the sky, like nothing had changed. And nothing had changed yet. But in a few hours, things would be different. And I would be okay with it, because even though Chris wouldn't be here in person, I'd always have him inside me. He'd helped form the person that I was, and I'd carry that with me everywhere. That, and the notebook with the tales of our adventures. I'd be adding to that later on. I guess Chris will have something to look forward to when he comes home for winter break.

**The end! ^-^**

**Review please! I love to hear what all of you think!**

**Read on!**


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